Dale Moon

Who were some of your earliest musical influences?

Right from the start for me it was Rush and Van Halen, which is an interesting yin and yang. I like how completely thought-out Neil Peart's playing is, and how completely instinctual Alex Van Halen's playing seems, and yet they're equally valid.

The other main early influence was Tower Of Power. David Garibaldi is probably my single biggest drum hero of all time. I can literally remember the moment I first heard Back To Oakland. It instantly made me wonder why we all play the same drum beats all the time.

Who are some of your more recent musical influences?

These might not seem that recent, but I later got into all of the electric jazz fusion guys, like Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers, Steve Smith, Gregg Bissonette, Horatio Hernandez, Simon Phillips… For years I felt that that was my direction as a player, but at some point I realized that I'm a rock n' roller at heart. That’s when I started getting into all of the instrumental guitarists like Vai, Morse, and Satriani. You still get all of the playing, but it rocks. Rod Morgenstein is my main guy in that arena. I have a million musical heroes, but these are the people who have actually influenced my playing.

There are lots of other drummers whose playing I love, but who haven’t shaped my playing as much, so I don’t quite think of them as “influences”…maybe more like “inspirations:” Vinnie Colaiuta, Tony Williams, John Bonham, Earl Palmer, Elvin Jones…it’s a long list.

What's in your CD player right now?

The live Jeff Beck stuff from Ronnie Scott’s with Vinnie Colaiuta on drums. It’s the best thing to happen to my soul in years. Great band, great music, great chemistry…inspired. I got to see a slightly different version of that band live. Seeing Jeff and Vinnie play together…I didn’t even know that was on my Bucket List until I was checking it off.

What's your current drum setup?

I play maple Gretsch drums: a 20x22 kick with six toms-- 8, 10, and 12 rack toms, 14 and 16 floor toms, and a suspended 14 on my left. I change snares depending on the volume of the gig. Usually a 6 1/2x14 Pearl Sensitone; either aluminum or steel, depending on the gig.

Cymbals?

I play Sabian cymbals. I have four crashes that vary depending on the venue--either AAX Studios or HHXplosions. Having several keeps things from sounding too repetitive when there are lots of accents to hit. It also keeps me from overplaying a single cymbal and breaking it. I have a Hand-Hammered Medium-Heavy Ride, and two O-Zone crashes, which are some of the greatest sounding cymbals I've ever heard. I vary my Hi-hats depending on the gig, but they're always 13’s for the primary hats, and 14’s for the X-hats.

What kind of Electronics do you use?

Often, we’ll do in-store appearances or radio shows while on the road. In these situations, I use a full kit of electronic drums, which are made by RET Percussion. They’re dual-zone triggers made with actual maple shells and real-feeling heads.

Also, no matter which kit I’m using, I use a pair of Roland SPD-S sampling pads to my left above the hi-hats. I can trigger drum sounds directly from them, or I can trigger rhythm guitar loops or piano loops that we couldn’t otherwise cover live without more people. That strategy allows us to sound extremely full on stage even though we’re a trio. I use two of them MIDI’d together so I can monitor one with added click, and send one to the house without a click.

I use a Boss metronome for a time reference, and I have a small mixer that I use to tie it all together and monitor the other band members.

Microphones?

I use Electro-Voice microphones on everything. They absolutely rock, and have held up great on the road.

Do you use triggers live or in the studio?

I currently don't use any live, and I've never used them in the studio, with the exception of random sessions for other people. I used to use them to trigger effects program changes on my reverb unit on the fly.

You have a third pedal on your left side next to your hi-hat and left kick pedal. What's that about?

That's been primarily a soloing device; it’s a Rhythm Tech Ribbon Crasher mounted on a Gajate bracket. I use the sound in the same way I would use a snare, or sometimes a clave. It allows me to set up a fairly complete groove with my feet, which I can then solo over.

What’s your approach to drum solos?

The first and most important thing is the composition itself. Most of the people listening are not drummers, plus every minute I’m onstage alone is a minute that the other members of the band are NOT onstage. I really feel that something musical has got to be happening during my solo, or else we should just get back to playing songs.

I tend to use lots of ostinatos and polyrhythms in my solos. My favorite drum solos are ones in which there is accompaniment, and the drummer gets a chance to stretch the time and create rhythmic tension, while someone else holds things together. Since I’m the only one onstage during my solos, I have to try to be two people in order to pull that off. That’s where the ostinatos come in. I’ll play a repeating phrase with a couple of limbs, then solo over that with my remaining limbs, and that way I can create the push and pull that I like to hear, plus it provides the listeners with a nice, accessible groove to latch onto if they don’t care about the other stuff I’m doing.

I do think there has to be a circus element to a rock n’ roll drum solo. It’s an unmistakably physical instrument, and I think people appreciate the stamina, power, and coordination involved, and I try to push myself on every level. I don’t like finishing and feeling like I could have given more.

Who are your influences as soloists?

I’d say the two big ones there are Neil Peart and Terry Bozzio. They both take a structured, compositional approach to their solos, then improvise within that framework. And Bozzio has elevated the ostinato thing to a whole new level; his name is practically synonymous with it.

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